Kathleen Longshore
Biography
Dr. Kathy Longshore is a wildlife biologist whose research interests are in animal ecology with emphasis in the application of behavioral ecology to wildlife management and conservation in arid ecosystems. Behavioral indicators can provide an early warning to population declines or habitat degradation before numerical or ecosystem-level responses are evident. As such, they can be used to monitor the effectiveness of management programs. Dr. Longshore's work encompasses both basic and applied aspects of animal behavior with a specific focus on direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts on animal behavior that may in turn, may impact biodiversity.
EDUCATION
- Ph.D. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Biology. 2004
- M.S. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Biology. 1982
- B.S. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. Zoology. 1978
RESEARCH INTERESTS
- Behavioral Ecology
- Habitat Modeling
- Effects of Anthropogenic Disturbance
- Telemetry (radio and/or satellite)
- Wildlife Biology
- Conservation Biology
Science and Products
Ecology and Conservation of Desert Bighorn Sheep
Dr. Kathleen Longshore’s goal is to understand how predator/prey relationships, disease and human-caused disturbance work separately and synergistically to impact bighorn sheep populations under variable ecological stress. Information from this project will provide managers with an understanding of specific and regional impacting factors that contribute to impact variation in population trends...
Ecology and Conservation of Golden Eagles in the Mojave Desert
Dr. Kathleen Longshore, in collaboration with Dr. Todd Esque, provides information to project the possible conflict between losses of habitat for foraging involved in the proposed development of alternative energy installations in the Mojave Desert and help develop advanced conservation efforts for the golden eagle. Information from this project will also inform California’s Desert Renewable...
Henderson Field Station
The Henderson Field Station supports research scientists leading projects in desert ecosystem restoration, genetics of iconic trees of the Mojave Desert, predator-prey studies on protected lands, and more. Select the next tab for a comprehensive summary of studies at this site.
Golden Eagle food habits in the Mojave Desert: Regional information for a changing landscape
Expansion of renewable energy development is rapidly transforming the Mojave Desert landscape and has the potential to impact Golden Eagles through loss of foraging habitat and reduced prey base. Regional information on Golden Eagle food habits is limited and little is known of how dietary variability influences eagle productivity. We examined diet using motion activated trail cameras and...
Ecological effects of fear: How spatiotemporal heterogeneity in predation risk influences mule deer access to forage in a sky‐island system
Forage availability and predation risk interact to affect habitat use of ungulates across many biomes. Within sky‐island habitats of the Mojave Desert, increased availability of diverse forage and cover may provide ungulates with unique opportunities to extend nutrient uptake and/or to mitigate predation risk. We addressed whether habitat use and...
Lowrey, Chris; Longshore, Kathleen; Choate, David M.; Nagol, Jyoteshwar R; Sexton, Joseph O.; Thompson, Daniel B. Climatically driven changes in primary production propagate through trophic levels
Climate and land‐use change are the major drivers of global biodiversity loss. Their effects are particularly acute for wide‐ranging consumers, but little is known about how these factors interact to affect the abundance of large carnivores and their herbivore prey. We analyzed population densities of a primary and secondary consumer (mule deer,...
Stoner, David C.; Sexton, Joseph O.; Choate, David M.; Nagol, Jyothy; Bernales, Heather H.; Sims, Steven A.; Ironside, Kirsten E.; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Edwards, Thomas C. Cougar dispersal and natal homing in a desert environment
We present a review of cougar dispersal literature and the first evidence of natural (i.e., unmanipulated) homing behavior by a dispersing male cougar (Puma concolor) that sustained severe injuries crossing the northern Mojave Desert. Based on Global Positioning System and ground tracking data, the male traveled a total distance of 981.1 km at 5....
Choate, David; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Thompson, Daniel B.
Wildlife on the Nevada National Security Site
Mountain lions, desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, and a variety of other wildlife live on and pass through the Nevada National Security Site each day. It is a highly restricted area that is free of hunting and has surprisingly pristine areas. This 22-minute program highlights an extraordinary study on how mountain lions interact with their prey. It...
Longshore, Kathleen M.; Wessells, Stephen M. An assessment of food habits, prey availability, and nesting success of golden eagles within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan Area
Within the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan area, which encompasses California’s Mojave Desert, development and operation of renewable energy facilities has the potential to impact golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) populations through loss of habitat and prey base. Developing an effective conservation strategy that aims to mitigate for...
Longshore, Kathleen M.; Esque, Todd C.; Nussear, Kenneth E.; Johnson, Diego R.; Simes, Matthew; Inman, Rich Tolerance to disturbance regulated by attractiveness of resources: A case study of desert bighorn sheep within the River Mountains, Nevada
Human activity may mimic predation risks for wildlife by causing abandonment of foraging sites and increasing expenditure of energy. Animals that can tolerate nonlethal disturbance may minimize these fitness costs. We examine this aspect of the risk—disturbance hypothesis by first analyzing recent habitat use of desert bighorn sheep relative to...
Lowrey, Chris E.; Longshore, Kathleen M. Variable terrestrial GPS telemetry detection rates: Addressing the probability of successful acquisitions
Studies using global positioning system (GPS) telemetry rarely result in 100% fix success rates (FSR), which may bias datasets because data loss is systematic rather than a random process. Previous spatially explicit models developed to correct for sampling bias have been limited to small study areas, a small range of data loss, or were study-area...
Ironside, Kirsten E.; Mattson, David J.; Choate, David; Stoner, David; Arundel, Terence R.; Hansen, Jered R.; Theimer, Tad; Holton, Brandon; Jansen, Brian; Sexton, Joseph O.; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Edwards, Thomas C.; Peters, Michael Common Raven (Corvus corax) kleptoparasitism at a Golden Eagle (Aquila chyrsaetos) nest in southern Nevada
The Common Raven (Corvus corax) is a ubiquitous species in the Mojave Desert of southern Nevada and California. From 5 to 24 May 2014, using remote trail cameras, we observed ravens repeatedly kleptoparasitizing food resources from the nest of a pair of Golden Eagles (Aquila chyrsaetos) in the Spring Mountains of southern Nevada. The ravens fed on...
Simes, Matthew; Johnson, Diego R.; Streit, Justin; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Nussear, Kenneth E.; Esque, Todd C. Spatial demographic models to inform conservation planning of golden eagles in renewable energy landscapes
Spatial demographic models can help guide monitoring and management activities targeting at-risk species, even in cases where baseline data are lacking. Here, we provide an example of how site-specific changes in land use and anthropogenic stressors can be incorporated into a spatial demographic model to investigate effects on population dynamics...
Wiens, J. David; Schumaker, Nathan H.; Inman, Richard D.; Esque, Todd C.; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Nussear, Kenneth E. Foraging at the wildland–urban interface decouples weather as a driver of recruitment for desert bighorn sheep
A growing number of ungulate populations are living within or near the wildland–urban interface. When resources at the interface are of greater quality than that of adjacent natural habitat, wildlife can be attracted to these developed areas. Little is known about how use of the wildland–urban interface by wildlife may affect vital rates. Under...
Longshore, Kathleen M.; Lowrey, Chris E.; Cummings, Patrick Ecology, distribution, and predictive occurrence modeling of Palmers chipmunk (Tamias palmeri): a high-elevation small mammal endemic to the Spring Mountains in southern Nevada, USA
Although montane sky islands surrounded by desert scrub and shrub steppe comprise a large part of the biological diversity of the Basin and Range Province of southwestern North America, comprehensive ecological and population demographic studies for high-elevation small mammals within these areas are rare. Here, we examine the ecology and...
Lowrey, Chris E.; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Riddle, Brett R.; Mantooth, Stacy Habitat selection and survival of pronghorn fawns at the Carrizo Plain National Monument, California
On the Carrizo Plain National Monument (CPNM), California, little is known about survival rates and habitat characteristics of pronghorn fawns (Antilocapra americana). A marked decline in pronghorn numbers on the CPNM (from approximately 200 to <30 individuals from 1989 to 2011) prompted a study of fawn habitat use and fawn survival from 2009...
Johnson, Diego R.; Longshore, Kathleen M.; Lowrey, Chris E.; Thompson, Daniel B.
Wildlife on the Nevada National Security Site
Mountain lions, desert bighorn sheep, mule deer, and a variety of other wildlife live on and pass through the Nevada National Security Site each day. It’s a highly restricted area that is free of hunting and has surprisingly pristine areas.This 22-minute program highlights an extraordinary study on how mountain lions interact with their prey. It shows how the scientists
Mojave Golden Eagles
This short video features incredible and graphic images and video of golden eagle prey. These birds are eating machines. USGS biologist-rock climbers install nest cameras to study the eating habits of golden eagles and their young in the Mojave Desert. This work goes towards creating a Prey Availability Habitat Model to better site green energy projects so that they will
Research Spotlight: Fear of Predation May Prevent Mule Deer from Taking Advantage of Forage Resources in Mojave Sky-Islands
A recent publication from the USGS Western Ecological Research Center reports findings from a study of mule deer and cougars in the Mojave Desert. The results indicate that fear of predation by cougars may restrict mule deer access to food even in areas of relatively greater resources.